Remember to Breathe
by Nargle-Lover15
Summary: Rose teaches Lily Luna to swim. Written for the Forgotten Family Ties Competition.


**Remember to Breathe**

It was a scorching summer's day in 2022 and Lily Luna Potter was running around her bedroom, frantically searching for her new swimming costume. _I was sure it was in here yesterday, _she thought, throwing the contents of her wardrobe behind her. Finally giving up, Lily called down to her mother, who was baking her brother's birthday cake, "Mum, have you seen my swimsuit?"

Ginny Potter stopped weighing flour and shouted up to her youngest child, "I put it on your bed sweetie. I don't understand how you can't find it."

"It's not on my bed. Did you put it in my chest of drawers?" Lily Luna asked, opening the bottom drawer.

Ginny climbed into her daughter's attic room and glanced around, quickly casting a cleaning spell. "I could have sworn I put it on your bed. Maybe I put it in the box at the end of your b..."

She stopped when she heard her eldest son yell, "Rose that isn't fair!"

"What isn't fair? Personally, I think it isn't fair that you stole, what I can only assume is, Lily Luna's swimming costume," Rose screamed, her face scrunching in anger and turning the same colour as her flaming red hair.

"I think I know where your swimsuit is!" Ginny laughed. She, and Lily, descended into the hallway to find Rose Weasley holding an emerald one-piece swimsuit above her head.

"It was a joke. You are a Weasley! You're supposed to understand humour," Albus complained.

"Don't forget she is a Granger also, so obviously going to be very serious," James snapped, the venom dripping from his voice.

"It doesn't matter if she is a Granger, you should not steal from your sister," Ginny scolded, before Lily Luna turned to her cousin and thanked her.

"No problem. Are you ready yo go to the lake?" Rose asked, a gentle smile gracing her features.

"Yeah, just let me get me my towel," the younger girl said, dashing up to her bedroom.

* * *

"You prepared for our final swimming lesson?" Rose asked her shorter relative.

"I think so, I'm still not good at remembering to breathe when swimming freestyle though," she told Rose glumly.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it by the end of today," Rose soothed. "Here we are," Rose said, dropping her bag and jumping in the cold water, fully clothed.

Lily Luna joined her five minutes later and began to swim a length of the large lake. The young girl made it a third of the way across before she started coughing and needed to stop. "You have to remember to breathe Lily. Otherwise you won't be able to make it to the other side successfully," Rose told her. "Copy what I do," she instructed, moving her arms in long, graceful movements, while kicking her feet.

Lily Luna watched her cousin in awe. "I'll never be able to swim like that," she muttered, not knowing the older girl could hear her.

"Yes you will! Just remember to breathe every four strokes. That is the key to success. Also keep calm, that will help the air in your lungs last longer," Rose said in an serious, but loving, tone.

Lily nodded, sucking in as much air as her lungs would allow and started swimming forward. Four stokes, take a breath, four strokes, take a breath, four strokes. As she was about to take another gulp of air, her hand touched the rough edge of the lake. "I made it Rosie. I made it!" she exclaimed, turning to face her cousin – only to discover the redhead was nowhere to be found. "Rosie?" Lily whimpered.

She glanced around frantically, screaming her older cousins name. Then she saw it, the small set of bubbles. She pushed off from the side of the lake only to see the bubbles had ceased. "ROSIE!" she screamed.

She plunged under the water to find her cousin, the older girl's foot trapped underneath a huge rock. Eventually, she released the other girl's foot and pulled her to the surface. "Lily, Rosie! Mum wants you to come in for my birthday celebrations," Lily heard her brother shout.

"Albus help me! Rosie got stuck under the water and she isn't breathing!" she cried.

"I'm coming," he shouted back, diving into the water and dragging his cousin to shore. "Come on Rosie! Breathe!" he shouted pounding her chest, while Lily gave her mouth-to-mouth.

It didn't work and Rose Weasley passed away with her loving cousins holding her in their arms.

* * *

"Lily Luna Potter," Professor McGonagall announced, holding the sorting hat. The young witch walked up to the stool and sat down. She held her breath, her face slowly becoming redder. Then a small ghost waltzed into the hall and whispered into the girl's ear, "Don't do what I did little cousin. Remember to breathe."

Then the ghost exited the Great Hall, never to be seen again. As for Lily Luna, she was sorted into Hufflepuff and travelled the world spreading her cousins message to those who were learning to swim. She reminded them to breathe.


End file.
